Healing the Rift: Integrators vs. Manufacturers

ISC West presentation and role-play workshop with Axis Communications, Kratos PSS, Milestone and ScanSource will address how to improve relationships for mutual success

BEAVERTON – March 27, 2017.“Why Can’t We Be Friends? Healing the Rift Between Integrators and Manufacturers” is the topic of a panel presentation and follow-up workshop to be held at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 6, at the ISC West security trade show in Las Vegas. The moderator will be Rebecca Bayne, President of Bayne Consulting and Search, Inc., and the panelists will be Tim Palmquist, VP Milestone Americas; Chris Peckham, Sr. VP/CTO, Kratos Public Safety & Security Solutions, Inc.; Gannon Switzer, Director of Strategic Vendor Relationships, Kratos Public Safety & Security Solutions, Inc.; Ted Wilkinson, National Sales Director, Axis Communications, Inc. and Christie Hamberis, Senior VP, ScanSource Networking & Security.

One of the longest ongoing conflicts in the physical security industry evolves around the discord between systems integrators and manufacturers. These two key factions must work together every day and neither can bring solutions effectively to the end users without the other, yet the antagonism and animosity seems not to have improved much over time.

“We have better technology from the manufacturers and improved methods as integrators – but the rift continues!” says Bayne. “In this panel session, we’ll bring together key influencers who work on the front lines of our industry, who will discuss, debate and question the reasons for this unfortunate disharmony. With the balanced panel representing the concerns and suggestions on both sides of the business model, we can openly present the issues, engage with the audience and provide tools for solid success in this critical relationship.”

The learning objectives of the panel include:

· Assess and examine the areas of dissention between integrators and manufacturers.

· Evaluate shared goals to put the spotlight on areas of mutual intent.

· Develop clear methods and practices each side must embrace – alone and together - to reach resolution and improved delivery of solutions and services.

“We want to air the concerns and separate fact from fiction,” says Tim Palmquist. “The aim is to find agreement on specific ‘game rules’ to build cooperation, encourage trusted partnerships, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction, with success for every stakeholder in the process.”

Chris Peckham states, “We need to be able to work together in a cooperative environment. All of the parties - manufacturers, distributors, integrators, and the end users - should understand how they can better interact with one another and address real and perceived issues. A true partnership, at every level, can deliver better results for everyone.”

“The ultimate objective for all of us is to have a happy and satisfied end-user customer. To accomplish this objective, all participants in the ecosystem need to be respectful of the value each brings to the customer solution, while staying true to their role in theprocess. This understanding and appreciation will help create stronger partnerships for all players,” concludes Christie Hamberis.

Early birds can make it to this presentation in Sands 103 Level 1, starting at 8 a.m. before the ISC West show floor opens.

About Milestone Systems Milestone Systems is a global industry leader in open platform IP video management software, founded in 1998 and now operating as a stand-alone company in the Canon Group. Milestone technology is easy to manage, reliable and proven in thousands of customer installations, providing flexible choices in network hardware and integrations with other systems. Sold through partners in more than 100 countries, Milestone solutions help organizations to manage risks, protect people and assets, optimize processes and reduce costs. For more information, see the corporate site: www.milestonesys.com. For news and viewpoints from the Milestone community, visit The Milestone Post.